"Lu Yun, do you know what you're doing?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo was in a decidedly foul mood. His narrow eyes fixed viciously on Lu Yun, his gaze cold and sinister.
Did the basic laws of Martial Souls mean nothing anymore? Wings had grown out of Lu Chen's back!
And this feeling...
So comfortable...
As though his whole body were about to float into the air~
Chrysanthemum Douluo hated to admit it, but merely bathing in the Ultimate Wood attribute and lingering traces of Life Origin that Lu Chen unconsciously released left him feeling as though he were floating into paradise. He and the old ghost beside him, who was still shaking, were practically polar opposites.
Completing Martial Soul Evolution through one's own cultivation? What kind of joke was that?
The two Titled Douluos, who had lived all these years, could only say that they had truly never seen such a thing.
Couldn't they at least lie and say he had accidentally eaten some heavenly treasure?
What was happening to Lu Chen not only challenged their understanding of the world, but practically laid their cards bare before Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo-
That's right, this is our secret. So what if we let you see it~
Chrysanthemum Douluo certainly did not believe they had exposed their secret out of trust in the two of them. There had to be a plot!
Right, little Mei-Mei?
At that thought, Chrysanthemum Douluo instinctively looked toward his external brain, Ghost Douluo. After all, the latter usually served as the brains of their duo, and after decades spent together day and night, Chrysanthemum Douluo had long since fallen into that habit.
Swaying Ghost Douluo.jpg
Useless thing!
Cursing inwardly, he summoned an enormous chrysanthemum into his palm. Its petals were a magnificent purple, and its central stamens rose over half a foot above them, their tips gleaming with a faint golden light.
Every petal was fluffy, with a distinctive texture that made it especially lovely.
This was the powerful Martial Soul that had made Chrysanthemum Douluo famous, as well as the Immortal Herb Dai Mubai had consumed in the original timeline-the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
No Soul Rings appeared. Chrysanthemum Douluo gently moved his fingers, and a great cloud of purple-tinged golden pollen spilled from the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum's stamens. The pollen gathered in midair before forming a hemisphere around the still violently trembling Ghost Douluo, barely shielding him from the Divine Attribute's powerful suppression.
The scene was magnificent and breathtaking-a veritable "blessing" for anyone allergic to pollen.
"Phew~"
Ghost Douluo let out a long breath. Despite having made a complete spectacle of himself, and despite the faint, involuntary tremors still running through his body, he did not fly into a humiliated rage. He merely gave Lu Chen, who was still cultivating, a long, deep look.
That sensation of having a blazing sun pressed into his face, of both body and soul melting away, was something he had experienced from only two people.
One was Spirit Hall's previous Pope, Qian Xunji, whom Tang Hao had battered with his hammer during the operation to hunt the Blue Silver Emperor.
The other was Spirit Hall's supreme ruler, the Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu, who, in his fury after Qian Xunji succumbed to his severe injuries, had nearly attacked those who had accompanied him!
But who were those two?
Bearers of the God-level Martial Soul, the Six-Winged Angel, whose cultivation started at Titled Douluo!
And Lu Chen?
A One-Ring Soul Master!
"Lu Chen is indeed extraordinarily gifted. With such an exceptionally blessed Divine Attribute, his talent alone already places him far ahead of everyone in Spirit Hall's younger generation, to say nothing of this miraculous Martial Soul Evolution."
"But Village Chief Lu Yun, what is your purpose in showing us this?"
Behind the pollen barrier, Ghost Douluo spoke in a questioning tone, but a suspicion had already begun to form in his mind. If it was truly what he thought, then the grandfather and grandson of the Lu family were extraordinarily bold!
Sure enough, Lu Yun did not "disappoint" him. The old man quickly left his seat and bowed deeply to the two Titled Douluos.
"I, Lu Yun, dare to ask Your Excellencies to guide my grandson and help him enter the Worship Hall!"
The heart Ghost Douluo had held in suspense finally died.
After a brief moment of shock, Chrysanthemum Douluo sneered.
"Heh, Archbishop Lu truly must be highly valued, to learn even such secrets in advance-and even dare tell his elder brother!"
"Since you understand everything, you surely know what sort of treatment we receive from those enshrined elders, don't you?"
"Asking us to help Lu Chen enter the Worship Hall-how could you even bring yourself to say it!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo could hardly be blamed for his fury. Whenever he remembered the icy look that peerless powerhouse had given him upon learning that his only son was gravely wounded and dying, as though he were looking at a corpse, he felt the urge to lose control of his bladder. How could he dare show his face before that man again?
The atmosphere grew tense.
Xiao Wu sat obediently in a corner, quietly listening to the elders' conversation. Once they mentioned words such as "guide," "secrets," and "Worship Hall," she barely dared breathe, like a husky that had accidentally wandered into a pack of wolves.
[Xiao Wu: Rare footage of Grandpa Lu Yun conspiring with two Titled Douluos to betray Bibi Dong.jpg]
[Yanzi: "As Long as My Name Is Long Enough, I Don't Have to Worry About Nobody Reading It," what's going on? Have Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo finally evolved from paying Bibi Dong lip service while defying her behind her back to outright betrayal?]
[Little Princess: No more pretending. Time to show our cards~]
[Xiao Wu: Not yet. Grandpa Lu Yun wants them to help Lu Chen enter the Worship Hall, but the two of them seem really afraid of it. They're very resistant.]
[Qian Renxue: This is indeed one way to oppose Bibi Dong. The Worship Hall represents Spirit Hall's greatest combat strength and authority. Together, its members even have the right to depose the Pope. Only Titled Douluos at rank 96 or above who are absolutely devoted to the angel faith qualify to join. My grandfather, Qian Daoliu, is the Worship Hall's Great Enshrined.]
[Ah Yin: So that's how it is. Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo were both among those who surrounded and attacked Tang Hao and me back then.]
[Netherworld: It's all gradually making sense.]
[Spirit Cat: I can imagine how miserable things were for them back then...]
[Little Fox: But surely they wouldn't go as far as betrayal? I know a little of the inside story. Didn't the Pope take them in when they had nowhere left to turn?]
[Liu Erlong: You're not saying a word about why they had nowhere left to turn. Would the punishment for Qian Xunji being severely injured be the same as the punishment for his death?]
[Little Princess: If Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo knew Bibi Dong was the one who made them suffer so badly, they'd probably go mad with rage, wouldn't they?]
[Qian Renxue: @Back to That Day, you work under her too, don't you? Any thoughts?]
[Back to That Day: ...]
Had anyone else in the group asked such an impertinent question, Bibi Dong would not have shown them the slightest courtesy.
Unfortunately... it was Xiao Xue, of all people.
Even someone as forceful as Bibi Dong could only helplessly type out a string of dots in the end.
[Xiao Wu: Oh, right, I just thought of something!]
[Little Princess: ?]
[Xiao Wu: Say, if Lu Chen really wanted to take one of the enshrined elders as his master, with his talent...]
[Yanzi: @Qian Renxue, congratulations, Sister Xue. You might be getting a martial uncle.]
[Qian Renxue: ???]
Twin Martial Souls, Innate Full Soul Power, an Ultimate Attribute, a Divine Attribute, an innate domain...
Qian Renxue put herself in her grandfather's place. If he learned that Spirit Hall had a genius whose talent was so great that it could be called unprecedented, he really might be unable to sit still!
Lu Chen gets a massive generation boost?
Am I really going to have a martial uncle? But he's only...
No, I don't want anything of the sort. I'm going back to Spirit City!
At that thought, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, walked to the window and spoke toward an empty patch of ground outside the room.
"Uncle She Long."
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"
The tall, lean Snake Lance Douluo emerged from the shadows, standing two meters in height.
Since it was daytime and there were too many eyes and ears around, he dared not openly address Qian Renxue as young master or young miss. He could only call her Your Highness.
"Go to Heaven Dou City's Spirit Temple and the imperial palace. Inform them that I intend to represent the Heaven Dou Empire in Spirit City and attend the investiture ceremony for the new Platinum Bishop, Lu Tian, four days from now."
"Well..." Snake Lance Douluo was somewhat puzzled. A Platinum Bishop's investiture was a major occasion, and the Pope would certainly attend in person. But hadn't the young miss always hated that woman more than anyone?
As for Lu Tian, he had heard of him long ago: a rank 89 Soul Douluo with truly heaven-defying luck, possessing an evolved True Dragon Martial Soul and on the verge of becoming a Titled Douluo.
Once he broke through, the absolute superiority of his Martial Soul would mean that even Snake Lance Douluo himself would be no match for him.
Best of all, because he had not been particularly outstanding in his earlier years, he was not a core member of any faction. He was indeed a talent worth the young master personally winning over!
But did the Great Enshrined know about this?
Considering the young miss's various actions over the past two days, Snake Lance Douluo could not shake the feeling that something was strange.
"Do as I say. As for that side... I'll explain myself!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Snake Lance Douluo's figure quivered, and he vanished from the spot.
Before you continue